| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| TucsonJer | Well we finally got home from our 2016 vacation adventure. We did so many things during our three months and ten days saga. One of the highlights being our trip to Shipshewana. We really enjoyed that event and we look forward to the next one. That's good news. When we got home today, as soon as we were all unloaded I went out to the garage to see if the cars would start. The Camaro started right up but the Prowler cranked once and then started clicking. That's the bad news. But to end with some good news, I was happy to see that the mirror lights came on when I opened the door so that tells me that the battery wasn't compleatly dead. I hooked up the battery tender that I forgot to hookup before we left. I'm confident that tomorrow when I go out to try again she'll start right up. |
| katmat | The battery tender may not be enough to charge the battery. |
| ed monahan | If you have jumper cables, just jump it and drive it for awhile. |
| TucsonJer | I'll let you know if it starts. I have a real nice pair of jumper cables. I was hopeful it would start, it did last year after sitting for 2 1/2 months. Guess I know for sure now. Not real sure how old the battery is. Apparently the Camaro battery is a little newer. |
| ed monahan | The Prowler has a lot of electronics which draw some voltage while it is parked. Two batteries made on the same day don't necessarily last the same amount of time. Newer is USUALLY better, however. |
| padroo | Some cars have more paracritic powered draw than others. |
| WildCat | good meeting you I left one car off tender for a short time and now need to get a new battery Better safe than sorry with a newer computer controlled car is just spend the money and get a new one. I did buy a new battery charger that is a pulse charger and suppose to help extend the life of a battery. Put it on last week, will check it again in a couple of weeks to see if it will hold a charge. |
| georgieboy | Maybe your battery was just low on water. Is it a serviceable battery and do you occasionally check the water? If the plates are not covered by water in just one cell the battery will not hold a charge. |
| phil2237 | If you have a gel cell or dry cell battery such as an Optima battery, They require a SPECIAL trickle charger. A regular charger will not charge them . If you should use the wrong charger, it will say it's fully charged when it's actually very low. Check before you charge your batteries. Also if you have a battery that you keep full with water, never let them run low on water as once the plates are exposed to air even for a short time, they are ruined. This message has been edited by phil2237 on 10-01-2016 at 08:22 AM |
| padroo | Here is a link for Optima chargers. http://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/battery-charger This message has been edited by padroo on 10-01-2016 at 09:35 AM |
| Tom Mills | For what it's worth OptimaJim OptimaJim
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. You do not need a special battery charger for our batteries. Normal battery chargers will work just fine, although it's important to clarify that our batteries are lead-acid batteries in a SpiralCell, AGM design. “Gel” or “Gel/AGM” charger settings will not fully-charge our batteries and could damage them over time. We do recommend a maximum charging rate of 10 amps, 13.8-15 volts for regular charging. For float-charging, we recommend a 1 amp maximum rate, 13.2-13.8 volts. If anyone has any other questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them. Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc. |
| ALLEY CAT | I have been using the Battery Tender Plus models for 12 years on three Optima batteries,,,and never had a problem with one of them going dead. One Optima in the Prowler has been going for 10 years.......knock on wood! |
| Patm | I bought one of these last fall. It turns one battery tender into a ( 4 ) stage charger. One battery tender now keeps 4 vehicles charged. Great investment. [URL=http://www.pulsetech.net/XCQL4-QuadLink-4Channel-Battery-Charger-Multiplier-7275.aspx]http://www.pulsetech.net/XCQL4-QuadLink-4Channel-Battery-Charger-Multiplier-7275.aspx[/UR L] This message has been edited by Patm on 10-01-2016 at 02:04 PM |
| ALLEY CAT | http://www.pulsetech.net/XCQL4-QuadLink-4Channel-Battery-Charger-Multiplier-7275.aspx |
| phil2237 | quote:
Originally posted by Tom Mills:
For what it's worthOptimaJim OptimaJim
Hello, I noticed your conversation regarding our batteries and wanted to offer some assistance. You do not need a special battery charger for our batteries. Normal battery chargers will work just fine, although it's important to clarify that our batteries are lead-acid batteries in a SpiralCell, AGM design. “Gel” or “Gel/AGM” charger settings will not fully-charge our batteries and could damage them over time. We do recommend a maximum charging rate of 10 amps, 13.8-15 volts for regular charging. For float-charging, we recommend a 1 amp maximum rate, 13.2-13.8 volts. If anyone has any other questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them. Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
Here in California, You CANNOT buy a 2 amp trickle charger such as the ones made by Deltrans that will work on an Optima battery. You must buy one off E Bay to get one and have it shipped here. If you try using a regular 2 amp charger on the optima, It will stop charging after a minute or two & say it's fully charged. Check E Bay & read some that are for sale and they will say NOT to use on an gel or dry cell battery. I had to buy one off E Bay to keep mine charged. California does not want people charging them here. |
| padroo | Im confused. Optima says this on their website. 
http://d26maze4pb6to3.cloudfront.net/optimabatteries/1213/4333/7097/Battery_User_Gui de.pdf
If you have a newer battery charger that is meant to charge an Optima you should be all right. I am not against Optima batteries but what I am saying is they are different than the lead acid batteries
that have been around for over 100 years and need to be treated differently. This message has been edited by padroo on 10-01-2016 at 08:10 PM |
| TucsonJer | Ok, I went out this morning and unhooked the battery tender that I hooked up on Friday. Got in the Prowler and turned the key and "WHALA" she fired right up. Since I had her running I pulled out of the garage and took her for a drive. All the gauges were working just fine and no warning lights came on during my test run. I'll keep an eye on everything, but I really don't anticipate any problems. When the time comes to purchase a new battery, I think from some of the post I've been reading, I'm going to have to do some research before I make any decisions on what kind of battery to get. Thanks everyone for all your input. Jer |
| phil2237 | If you have a newer battery charger that is meant to charge an Optima you should be all right. I am not against Optima batteries but what I am saying is they are different than the lead acid batteries
that have been around for over 100 years and need to be treated differently.[/B][/QUOTE] I just bought 3 new Deltrans chargers, I replaced the ones that were 7 to 8 years old that I had been using. After hooking them up, I would notice the 2 cars with the Optima's were turning green in 2 to 3 minutes. After checking everything out, I had found out California has banned them. I had to return the ones I just bought and buy 3 from E Bay , ((from a seller back East)) that specify the use with the Optima. Sure enough, as soon as I put them on, they stayed on over a day. Are there other States that have also banned them, or is it just California ?????
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| TucsonJer | Actually I don't have an Optima battery. The one in my Prowler is just a plain ol Interstate battery. It was in the car when I bought it. The person I bought it from told me that the battery was fairly new but he didn't remember when exactly he had put it in. So I would say that it's at least three years old since I got it two years ago this December. Anyone familiar with the AZ. heat knows how hard it is on batteries out here. I plan on checking out the Optima but I also saw a Mopar battery at the dealership the last time I got the oil changed. I've let it sit for over two months in a row for the last two summers and it was over three months this year. I'm starting to think that plain ol Interstate battery might be the one to stay with. IMHO |
| WildCat | Several years ago knew someone working at a battery manufacturer in Anderson Indiana, he told me there were only 4 battery manufacturers in the USA Don't know if it was true then or now, but most are probably made in different color cases and sizes in one of a few manufacturers I have had good luck with Interstate batteries, and have bought a lot of batteries from Sams club, which use to have great warranty exchange program. As I posted before I purchased a new Battery Saver pulse battery charger
It is a battery charger and maintainer and is too work on all types of batteries. Hope it does what they claim. Like it so far, have charged my deep cycle battery in the enclosed trailer to a full charge and have it on the Imperial right now. ------------------
Larry & Sue Mayes 
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| georgieboy | I buy all my batteries at WalMart. They are top quality and WalMart is everywhere in case you have a warranty claim. I just bought one for my Prowler. I selected one with the highest cranking amps. |
| padroo | I found this article that says Johnson Controls the largest manufacturer of batteries in North and South America owns Optima battery. All the Walmart batteries I bought were made by Johnson Controls.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/johnson-controls-announces-acquisition-of-gylling-optima-batteries-ab-73050742.html |
